The Buffalo News reports that the Bills and Steelers have reached an agreement that will have the two teams participating in joint practices in Latrobe this summer. The agreement cannot be finalized until the NFL signs off on the arrangement, and not before preseason schedules have been announced.

While unusual for the Steelers, teams often hold joint practices and scrimmages. Just last summer the Patriots and Bucs held joint practices, where Tom Brady had an infamous injury scare. The last time the Steelers did something of this nature was under Chuck Noll’s watch in the early ’90s. Then, it was the Redskins who would come to Latrobe.

Bills coach Doug Marrone proposed the idea this week at the owners meetings. Bills General Manager Doug Whaley used to work in the Steelers’ scouting department for years.

About the practices, Whaley said, “One, it breaks up the monotony of camp. Two, it gives you a chance to evaluate your players against other players in practice setting.

“After all summer of going up against the same guys, you might slip into a false sense of reality. This will set the bar a little higher.”

The arrangement will include 3 joint practices in Latrobe this summer, and then the Bills will host at St. John Fisher College next summer.

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